Joint sitting deferred for three weeks on opposition’s demand

10-member committee to prepare recommendations on six bills; PIA bill among six referred to special committee to generate consensus

ISLAMABAD: The joint session of the two houses of parliament was deferred on Tuesday for three weeks on the demand of the opposition parties. The deferment indicates the success of the dialogue between the government and the opposition parties.

The Pakistan International Airlines (Conversion) Bill and five other bills were also referred to a special parliamentary committee in an attempt to create a consensus on them between the government and opposition parties.

The joint session adopted a motion constituting a 10-member committee to prepare recommendations and proposals on the six bills. The committee will finalise its recommendations and proposals on the six bills by the 7th of next month.

Through another motion adopted, six bills were referred to the 10-member parliamentary committee for further consultations and proposals.NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq apprised the joint sitting that the government and the opposition had reached a consensus to hold further consultations on the six bills on the agenda. These bills will be presented again in the joint session on the 11th of next month.

He said the members of the committee include federal ministers Zahid Hamid and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Senators Mushahidullah Khan, Mir Hasil Bizenjo, Saeed Ghani and MNAs Naveed Qamar, Asad Umar, Maulana Fazalur Rehman, Khurram Dastgir Khan and Dr. Farooq Sattar.

The decision to refer the six bills to a special committee was taken at a meeting of the parliamentary leaders of parties represented in the National Assembly and the Senate.Sadiq chaired the meeting prior to the start of joint sitting’s proceedings on Tuesday morning. It was also attended by the opposition leader Syed Khursheed Shah, Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, Minister for Climate Change, Minister of State Anusha Rehman and Chairman of the Privatization Commission Muhammad Zubair.

The meeting, however, mainly focused on the PIA (Conversion) Bill and following a briefing by the finance minister and discussion, the government agreed to defer the bill for three weeks. With mutual consent, it was decided to form a 10-member special committee to prepare recommendations on the six bills.

Earlier, the opposition leader Syed Khursheed Shah also held a meeting of parliamentarians of opposition parties in the National Assembly and the Senate in the Committee Room of the Parliament House.During the meeting, the opposition leaders decided to strongly oppose the PIA (Conversion) Bill if taken up at the joint session.

Besides, the PIA (Conversion) Bill, 2016, the other five bills to be discussed by the special committee include the Emigration (Amendment) Bill 2014, the Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill 2014, the Anti Rape Laws (Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill 2015, the Anti Honour Killing Laws (Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill 2015 and the Privatization Commission (Second Amendment) Bill 2015.